BACKGROUND: Burnout Syndrome is a mental condition caused by
chronic exposure to work related stress and is identified by the presence of
any of the three distinct elements of emotional exhaustion,
depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishment. Middle grade doctors
are the backbone of any tertiary care hospital / medical institution,
partaking in unscheduled and inpatient care.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the presence of
burnout syndrome in the middle grade doctors in a tertiary care hospital in
Saudi Arabia.
PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted at the Armed Forces Hospital
Southern Region, Khamis Mushyt, from August to October 2012 in departments
with at least fifty inpatient admissions per month and with at least five
middle grade (Resident, Registrar and Senior Registrar) doctors. The
departments were Obstetrics and Gynecology, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics,
Emergency, General Surgery and Nephrology.
METHODS: This was a cross sectional descriptive and analytical
study using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Health Services Survey and a
self-reported stressor-identifying questionnaire to ascertain possible
precursors of, or contributing factors to, Burnout Syndrome.
RESULTS: A total of 96 proformas/questionnaires were collected
anonymously to maintain confidentiality and burnout syndrome was identified
in as high as 88.5% of the respondents with high emotional exhaustion in
68.8%, high depersonalization in 63.6% and low personal accomplishment
in 38.5%.
CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that burnout syndrome is high
among the middle-grade doctors in this medical facility and that urgent
steps are needed to address this problem to ensure that these physicians
remain physically and mentally healthy.
